November 26, 2011

I've been photographing Cathy and her family for years...she was one of my first ever clients! Ava and Vaughan are adorable and even though little Vaughan made us work for the smiles, it was totally worth it when we finally got a real one! ;) Enjoy your sneak, Cathy and Allan!

November 24, 2011

Our tummies and hearts are full after a wonderful Thanksgiving with our familes. Hard to believe that now the Christmas preparations begin...I've only bought a couple of stocking stuffers so far, so I have LOTS of shopping to do still! Ack! Is anybody braving the Black Friday crowds? I used to love heading out for shopping on Black Friday...I always felt like it was the "kick off" to Christmas. But now, I'd much rather just shop from the comfort of my own home...I must be getting old ;) I saw that 2peas is having a great sale...there are SO many things I've had my eye on lately...lots of October Afternoon, Crate Paper and the AC Chap line..I think I might have to do a little Christmas shopping for myself too ;)

This first one uses mostly the Shiny Brite add-on, with a few bits and pieces mixed in from other add-ons. Shiny Brite is the perfect Christmas add-on....gorgeous colors and those vintage ornament stamps are sure to be a fave!

This is a sneak of one of my new favorite layouts for sure! I used the new SC butterfly masks with some Mister Huey white and then the twine from Snow Cone to outline them. The effect is really cool and I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

Alright, that's it for now...hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'll hopefully be back with a couple more sneaks before reveal on Sunday night. Have a great holiday weekend!! xo

Lately I've been doing a lot of complaining...this time of year always has me feeling overwhelmed and crazy busy. My Mom and I were talking today about the fact that no matter how much you try to prepare yourself for the hecticness of the season, you just can't. I've been whining about how busy I am, about how I haven't had time for anything that doesn't *have* to be done, etc. The truth is I'm incredibly thankful. Thankful for all of these incredible familes who trust me to take their family photos each and every year, thankful to work for a scrapbooking company that treats their designers like gold, thankful to have a roof over my head, and most of all thankful for my beautiful family and friends who keep me sane through it all. Today I plan to slow down, eat lots of good food and really enjoy the day with my family. I am truly blessed and life is GOOD. Happy Thanksgiving, friends!! xo

(photo from Thanksgiving 2009! Look how little!!)

OH and the winner of Maggie Holme's December Daily Photo Workshop is Ellemieke!! Ellemieke, send me an email and I'll forward your info onto Maggie and get you into the workshop. Congratulations!!

November 23, 2011

Jen is a friend of mine and our boys are in the same PreK class. Brady is always asking when he can have a playdate with Jonah. Jen's daugther, Hannah, and Jackson played soccer together when they were just 3. They've practically grown up together...I love that my boys have such great friends. Jen's family session was quite an adventure...with 4 young kids, it's always fun! ;) Enjoy your sneak, Jen!!

November 22, 2011

I've been intrigued by the whole December Daily concept for years now, but always figured I was too busy or just doubtful that I'd ever follow through long enough to complete an entire album. BUT, Studio Calico & Ali Edwards made it too easy for me to pass up this year with their gorgeous December Daily kit! I haven't done much to it yet (still crazy photo season here for another week or so), but I did work on the cover of my album today.

I'm super happy with the way it's turning out so far. Hopefully I'll be able to stay motivated enough to finish the album. The amazingly talented, Maggie Holmes, has put together a fun workshop to help keep us on track from the photo side of things. Her workshop will include daily emails with photo tips and tricks, ideas, etc. Here are some of the details and you can read all about it on Maggie's blog as well...

I've already signed myself up and Maggie was generous enough to offer another spot in the class to one of my readers!! How lucky are you?!! To enter the giveaway, tell me the one thing you're looking forward to most about the holidays and I'll post a winner on Wednesday!

My blogging is lacking again, I know. Sorry about that. Crazy holiday photo season to blame once again. Add in baseball, holiday parties (already!), and JUST life and it's got me running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. ;) Anyway, I've been in the kitchen a bit and we've got a relatively laid back week this week, so we'll try out a couple of new things.

November 20, 2011

My photography schedule has been FULL of boys lately! The Keirns boys are a blast...hilarious guys full of personality! Kristine and her husband, Ken, own a fantastic bounce house rental company here in Tampa...if you're having a party, be sure to contact them! Kristine, it was fun photographing your gorgeous family again...enjoy your sneak peek :)

November 16, 2011

I first met baby Griffin and his Mama last weekend, but the adorable little guy wasn't himself that day, so I got to spend some more time with him this morning. Today, he was much happier and all smiles! I can't wait to watch him grow and take more photos of him as he gets older. Enjoy your little sneak, Lindsay :)

November 09, 2011

I was so happy to see the Christophers this past weekend. I photographed baby Ryan back in March when he was just a few days old. I was so surprised at how big he and Luke have gotten since then! I love watching little ones grow up and capturing these memories for their families. Enjoy your sneak, Monica and Kenny! :)

I'm so blessed to photograph such great families year after year! The Fosters are no expception! The girls are always such a riot...so sassy and fun! And they rocked the wardrobe this year...I'm such a fan of this teal/brown/tan combo. Enjoy your sneak, Bobbi and Shane! :)